Train Tracks
by roxsass
Summary: Two boys become unlikely friends under the most unusual circumstances. But when they both realize they've bitten off more than they can chew, who will be the first to give up? Set in Twilight Town but about nothing else is canon, mostly AU. The main pairing is Axel/Roxas.
1. Chapter 1

Axel had seen a lot of things, especially since he had moved to Twilight Town. He had seen his share of awkward moments and crazy moments and moments he couldn't even describe. But this, this was different.

It hadn't even been an extraordinarily interesting day. It was a _Thursday_, for Christ's sake. He had gone to school, come home, pretended to do his homework, met up with Demyx at the park and then stopped for sea-salt ice cream before heading back home. No crazy moments, nothing especially out of the ordinary. So the cute, blonde haired boy sitting calmly on the train tracks beneath him was not what he expected on his trip to Sunset Hill. He'd always made an effort to see the sun set before calling it a day, but today he was seeing much more.

Axel leaned his upper body over the fence that surrounded the hill, raising an eyebrow. The kid sat so still he could've been a statue. But the wind rustled his hair and soon he checked his watch, then assumed his previous statue form. Before he knew why, Axel was calling down to him. "Hey, cutie! Not how you catch a train."

The boy remained still for a moment, and Axel wondered if he'd even heard him. Clearing his throat, he opened his mouth to try again before the boy turned around, big blue eyes looking shocked and confused. They shot back and forth for a moment before settling on Axel, who was high above the boy. "I'm aware," he called back, then turned his back to him again.

"Then what are you doing?" Axel yelled, leaning over the fence even more. He didn't get an answer at first, so he sighed and leaned back, taking a bite from his sea-salt popsicle. He winced as the frozen treat gave him a hefty brain freeze, then tuned back into the boy.

"If you must know," he said, not facing Axel. "I am going to kill myself."

Needless to say, this was not the answer Axel expected. Although he hadn't a clue to what he did expect. He just blinked and thought for a moment, before sitting down by the fence and crawling underneath it, his legs hanging off the edge of the hill. "Well," he breathed sharply. "Why would you wanna do that?"

"The usual. I am sad. I'd rather be dead than sad."

Axel shrugged, then took another bite of his popsicle. He leaned back against the fence, then crossed his legs. "You know, that's kind of lame."

"Pardon me?" The boy turned around, this time sitting with his back towards the wind, now facing and looking up intently at Axel. He was quite the sight, too, so Axel didn't mind.

"I just—hear me out, alright?—I just think that if I were going to kill myself, I wouldn't want it to be for _the_ _usual_ reason. Kind of lame, I think." He smirked down at the boy and licked his pop deliberately slow. "But, that's just my opinion."

The boy nodded slowly, looking quite confused. "What kind of popsicle is that? I don't know if I've ever seen it."

"Sea-salt ice cream," Axel replied. "Got it memorized?" He smiled as the boy chuckled, his eyes lighting up just barely.

"Yeah, alright... Sea-salt? I don't think I've—" He was cut off by the sound of a train whistle, and both of the boys looked to see that the Twilight Town train had rounded the corner, and was speeding its way towards the cute blondie. "This is my stop!" The boy called, turning towards the train. Suddenly, Axel was reminded of the boy's intentions and he stood up quickly, hopping over the fence and racing down Sunset Hill. The tracks were right beneath it, so if he hurried, he might have a chance to save a life.

He rushed down the hill and the steps at the bottom of it, seeing the train getting closer and closer to the stranger. Pushing himself just a little bit harder, Axel sprinted towards him, still clutching his melting popsicle. "Hey!" he yelled over the sound of the approaching train, and the boy turned around, eyes widening. Axel finally reached him, grabbing his arm roughly and throwing him off the tracks. He didn't particularly care if he hurt the boy, because getting hit by a train would've hurt a lot more. Axel got out of harm's way and then pinned the boy down, making sure he stayed grounded until the train passed. Finally it did, so loudly that both the boys covered their ears and winced. As it chugged into the distance, Axel glanced at the boy, who looked furious.

"You had no right—"

"You thought I was going to let you die before you tasted sea-salt ice cream?" Axel chuckled.

"Who even are you? You're the most obnoxious _creep_ I've ever—"

"Easy on the compliments, baby face!" Axel threw out the pet name, pleased by the blush that crawled on the boy's cheeks and the simultaneous nose crinkle of disgust. "And the name's Axel. Got it memorized?"

"Unfortunately so." The boy grumbled and stood up. "And my name's not cutie.. or baby face, or whatever else you were going to call me." They both went quiet for a moment before the boy stared at him. "I could call the police."

"What?!" Axel exclaimed, looking around to see if someone was in sight. "Why would you?!"

"I'm a minor, _Axel_," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest and staring past him at the long gone train. "And I'm quite sure this whole flirting thing wouldn't please them."

"That might work," Axel chuckled, stepping forward so he could grab the boy's hands. They were cold and sweaty at the same time. "If I weren't also a minor. Ah yes, the big 1-7."

The boy gasped and stepped back, tearing his hands away. "Not possible." Axel just nodded, looking the boy up and down. He was quite disheveled from being thrown earlier, and much shorter than Axel. But Axel wouldn't put it beneath him to throw a strong punch, so he backed up, giving him space. Suddenly, he spoke again, mumbling, "Roxas."

"What is that even supposed to mean?"

"My name," he clarified. "It's Roxas. I'd appreciate it if you'd call me that."

"Roxas? Alright, I can dig that," Axel said. "So, Roxas, what do you say about that ice cream?" He started to walk away, smiling brightly. He turned, surprised to see his new friend just standing there.

"I say no," Roxas said, shaking his head. "Why would I want to go get ice cream with you? You just inappropriately flirted with me during my suicide attempt, and then you ruined my aforementioned attempt. To be blunt," he crossed his arms again. "That was a dick move."

Axel just stared at him. "Let me get this straight," he growled, rather fed up with how fresh this person was being. "You're mad at me because I saved your life?!"

"Rather sloppily, I might add," Roxas piped up. "But yes. Did it ever occur to you that maybe I wanted to get hit by the train, despite your ridiculous methods of cheering me up?" Before Axel could even think to speak, he continued. "For Christ's sake—you said my reason for killing myself was _lame_."

"Only because it was." Axel was staying true to his opinion, and Roxas just stared at him in disbelief. Who did this person actually think he was? He shook his head, scoffing because he had nothing more to say about the other's overwhelming stupidity. "Okay, I'm sorry for not letting a train liquify you."

"You're going with that as your apology, really?" Roxas rolled his eyes and turned around, looking at the train tracks. "I was so close this time."

Axel's smirk faded, and he looked down guiltily. He was slowly coming to terms with his rudeness. He didn't quite know what to say, and the boy was beginning to shake, and quiet sobs sounded from him. The popsicle had now melted all over Axel's hand, just leaving a wooden stick. He sighed and walked beside Roxas, nudging him gently with his shoulder. "Hey, it's alright."

Roxas looked surprised that he was still here, then wiped his face with his bunched up fists. "Just shut up. God, shut up..."

"Alright, just.. I'll shut up, okay? As long as you tell me what's wrong..." Axel cautiously put a hand on his shoulder, careful not to frighten him. He felt the other boy relax underneath his palm. "Maybe I could help."

Roxas sniffled and shrugged, glancing at him skeptically. "Perhaps it'll be easier to explain over ice cream." He eyed the melted mess on Axel's hand and chuckled softly. "Preferably frozen instead of melted."

"You're so needy. Frozen ice cream, really? What's next? You'll want frozen ice cubes! Or a warm meal!" Axel began to walk off, turning and facing Roxas expectantly. "Well, you coming?" He kindly held out a hand, waiting for it to be taken.

"Well..." Roxas whispered, looking between Axel and the train tracks. He could easily decline, and sit himself down and wait for the next train. He could do that so easily. In fact, he reckoned that explaining his problems over some risky ice cream flavor would be more painful than getting hit by a train. However, there was something undeniably and irresistibly alluring about Axel's bright green eyes, and Roxas found himself grabbing his outstretched hand before he could even understand why.


	2. Chapter 2

Bells chimed as Axel pushed open the door to the ice cream parlor by his house. Roxas imagined that if twinkling stars made a noise, they would sound like those sweet little bells. It was cool in the parlor, and a dark haired boy sat behind an array of ice cream, his hat pulled over his eyes and his feet up on the cash register. Upon their arrival, he lifted his hat up and watched the two with striking gold eyes, then dropped his hat again, mumbling some sort of welcome. "Sit down," Axel ordered gently, pulling out a chair at a brightly colored circular table by a large window. Roxas obeyed, grabbing the napkin dispenser and looking at his reflection in it. His hair was a wind blown mess, and he took to fixing it right away. Axel approached the young man and cleared his throat. "Two sea-salt popsicles." The worker let out a loud sigh before taking his feet off the register and lifting his hat up, walking to the other side of the counter and reaching into a bin. "Oh, and make sure they're frozen," Axel added, smirking back at Roxas, who didn't hear it over his frustration with his hair.

"No shit," the dark haired worker replied, pulling out two popsicles. He traveled to the register, narrowing his eyes at Axel. "Five dollars from the smartass." Axel glanced down at his name tag, large letters reading VANITAS. Axel hadn't seen him when he stopped by earlier, so he imagined he must've just started his shift. Either way, he had a lousy attitude. Reaching into his pocket, Axel fished out a ten dollar bill and handed it over. He got his two popsicles and lost his ten, watching Vanitas shove the bill into his apron's pocket. Axel was about to say something when Roxas called him over, anxious for the ice cream.

"Sure," Axel mumbled. "Keep the change." He received a bone chilling smirk from the worker and then rushed back to his table. He handed one pop to Roxas, who ripped off the plastic wrapper quickly, revealing a tasty, light blue frozen treat. "Well," Axel said, "go on."

Roxas took a bite off the corner, his facial expression changing from cautious to intrigued. "It's salty _and_ sweet." He looked up at Axel and grinned, taking another bite. "I can see the appeal."

"You're the only one. My other friends don't like it at all." Axel shrugged, leaning back in his chair. He began to eat his own popsicle, as he watched Roxas lose his small smile. "Are you ever gonna tell me what's up?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why you almost killed yourself."

"Almost?" Vanitas mumbled from afar, sitting back down and reassuming his earlier position. "What a shame."

Roxas gasped, his mouth staying wide open as he glanced over at the employee. Strangled and confused noises came from his throat as he looked for something to say. He practically shook with anger. Axel ran a hand through his red hair, letting out an annoyed sigh. "You're a real dick, you know?" Vanitas just smiled crookedly and pulled his hat back over his eyes and chuckled, folding his arms over his chest. "Roxas?" Axel turned his attention to the blonde boy, raising an eyebrow. "You alright? We can get outta here." Roxas turned to face his new friend, his jaw still dropped. He was shocked that a human being actually said that. Humans were supposed to have some sort of decency, right? Sure, maybe someone else would've thought it but a person should have enough self control to not say it aloud. Axel reached forward and gently pushed his chin up, closing his mouth. He stood up and grabbed Roxas' arm, pulling him from his chair and opening the door to leave. The bells rang again, calming Roxas. Once they left, Vanitas let out a loud sigh of relief, closing his eyes to sleep.

"You alright?" Axel asked again.

"Um," Roxas looked around and rushed over to a nearby bench and collapsed on it. "Yeah." Axel walked over slowly and took a seat beside him, ruffling his hair. "Hey!" Roxas exclaimed, rushing to fix it. He glared deep, blue daggers at the other boy.

"Don't tell me you're one of _those_ guys," Axel groaned. "Like, hair obsessed."

Roxas scoffed, slightly offended. "This is coming from you? There's no way your hair is natural. That came from a bottle." He chuckled and bit into his ice cream, wincing. "Brain freeze!" he yelled, as if announcing it to the entire town. Axel laughed, finishing his own treat with one more bite. He examined his empty stick closely then sighed, tossing it aside on to the hot pavement. "What were you looking for?"

"If you get a stick that says winner you get free stuff or whatever... I've never won, so I wouldn't really know. Starting to think it's a scam." Axel glanced at Roxas and smiled. "Maybe you'll win. You seem lucky."

"I do?" Roxas asked, looking at his half eaten popsicle. He took another bite then looked back at Axel, who nodded eagerly.

"Well, yeah! You met me, didn't you?" Axel moved in close, his nose brushing against Roxas'. Roxas gasped and leaned back, tumbling off the bench. He felt little stones dig into his palms as he landed on the pavement, and raised his hands to his face. He grumpily picked out dark flecks, biting his lip.

"That was uncalled for," Roxas whispered, then repeated it loudly. He glanced up at Axel, holding out his hands. "Look!"

"I'm sorry, did that hurt?" Axel asked. "Because getting hit by a train would've hurt much more." Roxas crawled back up on the bench, sitting on the edge as far from Axel as he could. "Listen, kid, I'm sorry. I'll keep my hands to myself."

"Why should I believe you?" Roxas smirked, raising an eyebrow. He raised his chin to show some sort of superiority, then folded his arms over his chest.

Axel slid closer to his new friend, wrapping an arm around his shoulders lazily. "First, I saved your life. Then, I bought you a delicious frozen treat. And now I'm offering to walk you home." Roxas sighed and looked up at Axel. His lips were turned up into a smirk, and his eyes were playful and brilliant greenl. His face was masculine and hard, his jawline strong. When Roxas had first seen him, he pushed his prejudices aside. He was clad in all black, a chain dangling from the side of his jeans. Even the laces of his converse sneakers were black, and when he looked at Roxas at the train tracks from above, they dangled off the edge of the hill, untied. One could think a lot of negative things about a boy like this, but behind the dark was a sincere smile that made Roxas a little less bitter when he was ripped away from that train. Just a little.

Axel was just as intently staring Roxas down. He couldn't believe a pair of eyes could be so blue. But they weren't a cliché blue, no. Not blue as the ocean or blue as the sky, just _blue_. There was no use in using any other words or similes, because they were their own blue, not comparable to anything else. His face was round, soft and pale. Underneath his eyes were small bags, and Axel wondered what was keeping him up at night. His hair was messy and blonde, sticking in all sorts of directions. The insomniac look sort of suited him. His outfit was intricate and creative, with a black and white checkered bracelet wrapped tightly on his wrist. On two of his fingers he wore a ring, one black and the other white. Light and dark. Axel had been so focused on the boy he didn't realize that he had started talking. "Uh, hmm? What?"

"I said, okay," Roxas whispered, careful not to stir their current position. "You can take me home." Axel's smile widened and he moved away, his arm returning to himself. Roxas smiled back and looked down at the ground, where his popsicle sat after he had fallen and dropped it. He sighed and leaned down, picking up the stick and shaking off the excess ice cream. The wooden stick was plain and empty, nothing proclaiming that Roxas was a winner. "Guess I'm not as lucky as you think."

"Hmm... maybe not," Axel mumbled, examining the stick. He pulled it from Roxas' fingers and tossed it on the pavement. "Well, that was only your first try. What do you say we come back here tomorrow and try this again?"

"Oh!" Roxas exclaimed, his eyebrows shooting up. "Like a.. like a date?"

"I thought this was already a date," Axel said, leaning back on the bench and closing his eyes. Roxas glared at him. This was most definitely not a date.

"No," he stated bluntly. "No way. You ruined my day, remember?" He felt tears starting to prick at his eyes and he quickly wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. "I didn't want to come here, Axel. I wanted to die, and I still do."

Axel opened his eyes, staring at him. His face hardened but his gaze softened. He had never dealt with this sort of thing, with himself or anyone else, and he didn't know what to say. "So, that's a no to tomorrow?"

Roxas let out some sort of strangled, angry noise and then leapt to his feet. "I just wanna go home."

"Alright!" Axel scooped up the other boy's hand and grinned cheekily. "Lead the way." Roxas stared up at the (much) taller boy and scoffed, ripping his soft hand away and shoving it into his pocket. He began to walk away, rather quickly, and Axel scrambled after him. "Wait up, cutie!"


End file.
